Israel Registers First 'Flurona' Case, Rare Double Infection of COVID and Seasonal Flu

In December, the Israeli government approved banning all non-essential travel to Belgium, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States to prevent the spread of the Omicron coronavirus strain.

The first case of a simultaneous disease with coronavirus and seasonal flu was confirmed in Israel, according to the Times of Israel, citing Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.

The disease, dubbed "Flurona", was diagnosed in a pregnant, non-vaccinated woman.

“She was diagnosed with the flu and coronavirus as soon as she arrived. Both tests came back positive, even after we checked again. The disease is the same disease. They're viral and cause difficulty breathing since both attack the upper respiratory tract,” Professor Arnon Vizhnitser, director of the hospitals' Gynaecology Department said, as quoted by Israeli media.

The woman suffered mild symptoms and was released from the hospital, according to reports.

The Israeli Ministry of Health is studying the case. There is a possibility that parallel infections could have occurred in medical practice before this event.

Earlier, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that the first batch of Pfizer's anti-coronavirus Paxlovid medicine was delivered to Israel on Thursday, making the country a pioneer in approving the drug, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said.

In November, Israel red-listed about 50 countries, mostly African, over Omicron-related concerns.